1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to vehicles generally and, more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to a novel vehicle trunk emergency release and warning system and method that release a trunk latch and warn the vehicle operator of the presence of a person locked in the trunk.
2. Background Art
While the present invention is described, for illustrative purposes, with reference to detecting the presence of a person in a vehicle trunk compartment, it will be understood that the present invention is applicable, as well, to any situation in which it is desirable to detect the presence of a person in any locked enclosure.
To avoid injury or death to a person, particularly a child, that becomes locked in the trunk compartment of a vehicle, it is important that means be provided to open the locked trunk either automatically or by the person locked in the trunk compartment. Recent media reports emphasize the need for such a provision and considerations of associated vehicle safety legislation further emphasize this need.
One method of providing for the release of a person locked in a vehicle trunk compartment is simply to provide an internal catch that the person in the trunk can activate to unlatch the trunk lid. A disadvantage of this method, however, is that the person must be able to locate the internal catch and be able physically to activate the catch, which a child or disabled or adult may not be able to do. For this reason, it is desirable that the presence of the person be detected and the trunk automatically unlatched. An undesirable aspect of this, on the other hand, is that the trunk lid may be unlatched when the vehicle is in motion. In any case, it is desirable that the presence of the person be made known to others, such as the operator of the vehicle, so that appropriate action can be taken if the lid fails to be unlocked or if the vehicle is in motion.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a system and method for detecting the presence of a person in the trunk compartment of a vehicle and, subject to certain limitations, automatically unlocking the lid of the trunk compartment upon such detection.
It is a further object of the invention to provide such a system and method that alert others to the presence of the person locked in the trunk compartment of the vehicle.
It is an additional object of the invention to provide such a system and method that will not unlock the trunk compartment of the vehicle if the vehicle is in motion or may be put in motion.
It is an additional object of the invention to provide such a system and method that permit, subject to certain limitations, the person in the trunk of the vehicle to unlock the lid of the trunk compartment from the inside of the trunk compartment.
Other objects of the present invention, as well as particular features, elements, and advantages thereof, will be elucidated in, or be apparent from, the following description and the accompanying drawing figures.